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Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Blog

Related terms: Blood clot in the legs, Deep venous thrombosis, Thromboembolism, DVT

Blog (8)

Infection Might Raise Blood Clot Risk for Older Adults: Study

Posted 5 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, April 5 – Infections, especially among older adults, may increase the risk of developing potentially dangerous blood clots, a new study suggests. The clots are called venous thromboembolisms, and include the deep vein thromboses (DVTs) that typically begin in the legs. However, DVTs can also travel to the lungs where they form potentially deadly pulmonary embolisms. DVTs have been linked to prolonged sitting, gaining the nickname "economy-class syndrome" after cases of passengers developing them on long-haul flights. But, the new study finds that if an older adult suffers an infection (for example, a urinary, skin or respiratory infection) after a stay in a hospital or nursing home, the risk of developing a venous thromboembolism can rise nearly sevenfold. In people who develop infections at home, the researchers found a threefold increased risk of a clot within 90 days. The ... Read more

Related support groups: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism

Low Iron Levels May Increase Blood Clot Risk

Posted 15 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 15 – Low levels of iron in the blood are associated with an increased risk of dangerous blood clots that form in a vein, according to the results of a new study that included patients with an inherited blood vessel disease. The findings suggest that treating iron deficiency may help prevent the condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), according to the researchers at Imperial College London in England. DVT typically occurs in the legs and can cause pain and swelling, and can be fatal if a blood clot dislodges and travels into the blood vessels of the lungs. Major surgery, immobility and cancer are recognized risk factors for blood clots, but there is no clear cause in many cases. The new study included 609 patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), a genetic disease of the blood vessels that causes excessive bleeding from the nose and gut. Many HHT ... Read more

Cancer Patients at Risk for Serious Blood Clots: Study

Posted 30 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 30 – Blood clots affect as many as one in five U.S. cancer patients and sharply increase the cost of their care, a new study has found. Researchers analyzed data from 30,552 cancer patients in the United States and found a large number developed a potentially deadly blood clot called a venous thromboembolism (VTE) within a year of undergoing chemotherapy for certain types of cancers. One year after treatment, VTE occurred in 21.5 percent of pancreatic cancer patients, 16.7 percent of stomach cancer patients, 14.8 percent of lung cancer patients, 11.9 percent of colorectal cancer patients, 11.4 percent of ovarian cancer patients and 9.9 percent of bladder cancer patients, the investigators found. It's not fully understood why VTEs can develop during cancer treatment, but contributing factors include chemotherapy side effects, blood-clotting agents released by tumors, and ... Read more

Related support groups: Cancer, Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Deep Vein Thrombosis

Central Catheters May Raise Risk of Blood Clots After Surgery

Posted 16 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Aug. 16 – The risk of deep vein thrombosis – a sometimes deadly blood clot that can form in a deep vein after general surgery – is low when preventive measures such as anti-clotting drugs are used, researchers say. The investigators also found that most cases of deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, that occur after general surgery are associated with catheter use. In the new study, published in the Aug. 15 online edition of the journal Archives of Surgery, researchers reviewed the medical records of 2,189 patients across the United States who had general surgery in 2008 and 2009, including surgeries of the pancreas, esophagus, colon and rectum, intestines and stomach. DVT occurred in 35 (1.6 percent) of the patients, and 94.3 percent of those cases were detected because patients experienced DVT symptoms. Only 5.7 percent of the cases were found through routine screening. Sixty ... Read more

Related support groups: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Deep Vein Thrombosis

Severe Blood Clots Should be Treated Aggressively: Heart Docs

Posted 21 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 21 – The American Heart Association is urging doctors to treat the worst cases of potentially life-threatening blood clots that form in the legs' deep veins more aggressively. These clots can break loose and travel to the lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal. Each year in the United States more than 250,000 people are hospitalized for deep vein thrombosis, whose symptoms include sudden swelling and unusual pain, tenderness and warmth in a leg. Until now, there has been little guidance on how best to treat the most serious cases of the emergency condition, according to the heart association. For patients, the new guidelines should make a difference in outcomes, said co-author Dr. M. Sean McMurtry, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. "Ideally, it will lead to better care," he ... Read more

Related support groups: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Deep Vein Thrombosis

New Blood Thinner May Help Fight Dangerous Leg Clots

Posted 6 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Dec. 4 – A new anti-clotting pill, rivaroxaban (Xarelto), may be an effective, convenient and safer treatment for patients coping with deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), a pair of new studies indicate. According to the research, published online Dec. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug could offer a new option for these potentially life-threatening clots, which most typically form in the lower leg or thigh. The findings are also slated for presentation Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), in Orlando, Fla. "These study outcomes may possibly change the way that patients with DVT are treated," study author Dr. Harry R. Buller, a professor of medicine at the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, said in an ASH news release. "This new treatment regimen of oral rivaroxaban can potentially make blood clot therapy ... Read more

Related support groups: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Deep Vein Thrombosis

Analysis Examines Ultrasound Use for Blood Clots

Posted 2 Feb 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 2 – It's unusual for a paper in a medical journal to be accompanied by an editorial saying that the conclusion reported in the paper might be "overly simple and consequently not clinically useful." However, that is exactly what has happened in the Feb. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The paper in question, from researchers at the University of Utah, asks whether a single ultrasound exam might be enough to determine whether someone has a dangerous blood clot in a deep vein of a leg below the knee. The paper averaged the results of seven studies that included 4,731 cases, and concluded that the usual practice of doing repeat ultrasounds looking for such a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) isn't necessary. The average risk of having a DVT in all the studies over the next three months was about one in 200, or 0.57 percent, such a low rate that the routine ... Read more

Related support groups: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Deep Vein Thrombosis

Vein Condition May Mask Serious Clot Disorder

Posted 20 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, July 20 – A supposedly harmless condition – superficial vein thrombosis, or varicose veins that have become swollen and painful – may herald the presence of a more dangerous problem. One-quarter of patients with superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) in an Austrian study actually had deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially life-threatening condition. "The diagnosis of [SVT] has long been considered to be a benign entity which could be managed in the doctor's office [but] in fact may be the tip of the iceberg," said Dr. Robert Lookstein, an associate professor of radiology and surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "I think it's a good idea for anybody with [superficial vein thrombosis] to undergo routine ultrasound screening of the deep veins of their legs to exclude this very, very serious diagnosis," Lookstein continued. This advice does not apply to ... Read more

Travelers Face Greater Risk of Leg Clots

Posted 6 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, July 6 – A review of past research confirms what many experts have long believed: People who travel bear a significantly higher risk for developing potentially life-threatening blood clots in their legs. That risk, the analysis finds, is up to three times higher for travelers when compared to non-travelers. What's more, the risk rises the longer the trip – 18 percent higher risk for every two hours of travel, and 26 percent higher risk for every two hours of airplane travel. "For the first time, we've identified conclusively that long distance travel is associated with a higher risk of getting a deep vein clot, and that the risk is a sizeable," said study co-author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian who works in the division of cardiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Previously, this had been assumed to be a plausible risk. But, pooling all of the worldwide data together, we ... Read more

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Deep Vein Thrombosis -- First Event, Deep Vein Thrombosis -- Recurrent Event, Deep Vein Thrombosis -- Prophylaxis, Venous Thromboembolism

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